Translation of haggadah section titles

Question

What are the litteral translations of the different section titles of the haggadah? (i.e. What exactly do kadesh, urchatz, etc. mean)

msh210 · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-26 01:23:12Z

Kadesh is the masculine singular imperative: make kidush! (or: sanctify!) It's also a bare infinitive.
Urchatz or r'chatz is the masculine singular imperative: (and) wash!
Karpas is a matter of much discussion, but it's some sort of vegetable.
Yachatz is the masculine singular third-person future tense transitive: He will divide.
Magid is the masculine singular present tense: I/you/he tells.
Rochtza is an non-finite form: wash/washing.
Motzi is the masculine singular present tense: I/you/he removes.
Matza is non-chametz bread.
Maror is some kind of vegetable.
Korech is the masculine singular present tense: I/you/he wraps.
Shulchan orech is the masculine singular present tense: I/you/he sets a table. It could also mean "a table sets (something)" but that seems less likely.
Tzafun is a participle (I think it's called; anyway, an adjective formed from a verb): hidden.
Barech is the masculine singular imperative: bless! It's also a bare infinitive.
Halel is the masculine singular imperative: praise! It's also a bare infinitive. It also seems to be a noun: praise.
Nirtza is the masculine singular present or masculine singular third-person past tense: I am/he is/it is/you are/he was/it was accepted/wanted.

I'll leave the precise translation of karpas and maror to others.

And motzi is called such as it blesses G-d "Who brings bread out of the ground."
Would it not be Yahitz if it were future? I wonder if it derived from an Arabic construct that would be like wahatz or something in Arabic. It could br an infinitive. Truth is, I have no idea what it is or is supposed to be, but future just doesn't sound right to me.
I'm also not so sure about your translation of Shulhan 'Orech. I know how you came up with it, but I wonder if it's derived from an older expression that therefore has a form we're not as familiar with. I'm not calling your translation(s) wrong, but it just seems very odd to me that we'd have these titles that are grammatically unusual, to say the least. It's not like nobody knew how to speak Hebrew before Ben-Yehudah came around.
@SethJ, re yachitz, that's if it's hif'il. In kal with root ch-tz-h it would be yachatz (with the dropped he as is sometimes found in Tanach or, as here, for rhyme or the like). I can't speak to Arabic. Re "it just seems very odd to me that we'd have these titles that are grammatically unusual, to say the least": I think it's meant to rhyme and fit a meter.

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